GvsT
Groq vs Together AI
Comparing two ai & llm apis platforms on pricing, features, free tier, and trade-offs.
Quick summary
Groq — Ultra-fast LLM inference with LPU hardware. Groq runs open-source LLMs (Llama 3.3, Mixtral, Gemma) on custom LPU hardware, delivering 10-20x faster inference than GPU-based providers.
Together AI — Run open-source AI models in production. Together AI hosts 200+ open-source models (Llama, Mixtral, Qwen, DeepSeek, Flux) with competitive pricing, fine-tuning, and dedicated endpoints.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Groq | Together AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Pay per token | Pay per token |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Embeddings | No | Yes |
| Max Output | 8K | 8K |
| Fine-tuning | No | Yes |
| Context Window | 128K | 128K |
| Flagship Model | Llama 3.3 70B | Llama 3.3 405B |
| Reasoning Model | Llama 3.3 70B | DeepSeek R1 |
| Function Calling | Yes | Yes |
| EU Data Residency | No | No |
G
Groq
Ultra-fast LLM inference with LPU hardware
Pros
- Insanely fast inference (500+ tokens/sec)
- Cheapest for open-source model inference
- Generous free tier
- Great for real-time UX
Cons
- No proprietary models — OSS only
- Lower peak quality vs GPT-4o/Claude
- Limited availability during demand spikes
T
Together AI
Run open-source AI models in production
Pros
- 200+ open-source models one API
- Fine-tuning infrastructure built in
- Dedicated endpoints for SLA workloads
- Image generation (Flux) too
Cons
- No proprietary frontier model
- Pricing varies wildly per model
- Documentation sometimes out-of-sync
Which should you choose?
Choose Groq if a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Together AI if a free tier is important for your stage.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Groq or Together AI?
There is no universal “better.” For most teams, Groq is the safer default because Groq has a larger community and more third-party integrations, which often translates to better long-term support. For edge cases, the comparison table above highlights where each tool wins.
Is Groq cheaper than Together AI?
Groq starts at Pay per token, while Together AI starts at Pay per token. Exact costs depend on usage — check both vendors' calculators before committing.
Can I migrate from Groq to Together AI?
Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Groq-specific features (APIs, SDK conventions, data schemas) are baked into your app. Most ai & llm apis migrations take days to weeks. Both vendors typically publish migration guides — check their docs.
Is Groq or Together AI open source?
No — both Groq and Together AI are proprietary managed services. If open source is a requirement, see our alternatives pages.
Does Groq or Together AI have a free tier?
Both Groq and Together AI offer a free tier.
Which is best for startups and indie hackers?
Startups usually optimize for the lowest friction to ship and the cheapest possible free tier. The one with the most generous free tier here is Groq. For production workloads, revisit the trade-offs in the feature table above.